Hi, I’m Susan–creator of Moms Make it Magical. I’ve been married for 10 years and have three crazy kids–K (age 8), J (age 5), and I (7 months old, not pictured). Despite having degrees in social work and public health, I have chosen to be a stay-at-home mom for this season of my life.
My journey into motherhood hasn’t been easy as views of how my children “should” be almost always clashed with reality. With K, it was a difficult start with poor sleeping, constant crying (I am pretty sure she had colic!), and never-ending neediness… I felt like I could never make her happy. Even at this age, I can tell she feels and senses things more deeply than your average child. She will cry for 15 minutes if she trips and falls, even if there isn’t a scrape. She will notice and remember every detail of a restaurant we ate at. She hates surprises and loves to know exactly what to expect.
“Stop being so dramatic!” “It’s not a big deal!” “This is not an emergency!” “Calm down!” are phrases I’ve said countless times during moments of impatience and frustration on my end. Her reactions have often seemed over-the-top to me, compared to the actual issue at hand.
We went through a neuropsych evaluation in 2021 where we came away with a diagnosis for generalized anxiety and slow processing. I have had to put in a ton of effort to understand who she is, as a sensory sensitive and anxious child, cultivate empathy towards her, and find ways to support her and help her grow. And this blog is a reflection of some of those efforts.
We also LOVE Disney! To date, we have visited WDW three times and Disneyland once as a family. We became Disney Vacation Club members in January 2019. Every trip is an opportunity for me to see what the kids loved, what scared them, what triggered meltdowns, and what brought utmost joy!
My Disney obsession paired with my desire to support my sensitive kiddos in even the most overwhelming environments has been the catalyst to start this blog. I don’t have all the answers by any means, but I know us moms can work hard to MAKE IT MAGICAL and minimize (and better manage) the meltdowns.
